Filling His Shoes
by KountryKitten
Summary: The year after the ducks graduate, Adam's brother Jeremy enters Eden Hall as a freshmen....and blah blah blah. This was a spur of the moment thing...I dunno if I'm gonna go on....*shrug* oh well- r&r...or not.
1. Chapter 1

I woke up at six fifty five AM to the vision of bright sunlight pouring in through my open window. The breeze blowing through it on that chilled August morning made me pull the covers in all around me. I could smell the bacon and pancakes that my mom was making in the kitchen all the way from downstairs, and my stomach was grumbling.  
  
More than anything I wanted to get out of bed for breakfast. I could hear the crispy, salted bacon calling my name. "Jeremy...get up...eat me!!!!" If I had that feeling last year, or even last week, I would have jumped out of bed for just one taste of those homemade, melt in your mouth pancakes. But today, I was too depressed, because today was my first day of high school at Eden Hall Academy.  
  
Five minuets later, I was still in bed, debating weather or not to get up. Maybe I could fake sick! That could be my ticket out of today. But then again, I thought to myself, why prolong the agony? I would have to go to school sometime or other, and besides, my father would kill me if he found out that I was faking.  
  
Just then my father called out to me from the hallway "Jeremy Banks, get out of bed!" He cried.  
  
"Speak of the devil." I mumbled into my pillow.  
  
"You don't want to be late on your first day of school. Adam never slept in on the first day- or ever come to think of it! You will get up, get dressed and go to school- NOW!" My father bellowed.  
  
I rolled my eyes, moodily as I pulled my six-foot frame out of bed. Of course, he would compare me to Adam. He did it constantly. Reason one not to go to Eden Hall: Adam. He had been on the dean's list honor roll. He had been a nation merit finalist, he was the alternate captain on the varsity hockey team, and helped lead them to the state championship three years in a row. After graduating second in his class last year (second ONLY to Julie Gaffney) he had been a first round draft pick for the NHL, however after careful consideration had decided to play hockey at Minnesota University instead, much to my father's delight. Our eldest brother, Matthew had been every bit as perfect as Adam...and then there was me. I don't care about school. I'm smart; I can make B's without studying. I don't really even care about hockey. I like hockey, it's fun, but I'm not as serious as Adam or Matthew had been, there's no way I ever could be.  
  
JV hockey team tryouts were after school today. There was no doubt in my mind that I would make it, I would probably be first line left wing, but I couldn't help but wonder if it would be becuase of tallent alone, or because I had the name "Banks" plastered on the back of my jersey.  
  
There was only one good reason that I could think of for going to Eden Hall. Two words: Laura Germaine, Guy Germaine's little sister. I'd known her since I was young, but I hadn't seen her all summer. I didn't even know that she was going to Eden Hall until a week ago when my mother learned that she had accepted an academic scholarship for writing. I got this dreamy look in my eyes even thinking about her. Her bright blue eyes shone behind a mass of blond curls, and she stood a mere 5'3" to my six feet. She made me feel strong, and yet- sensitive, like I wanted to take care of her, and hold her in my arms. Laura was the sweetest girl that you would ever meet. Some of my fondest memories were of us playing together on the playground in Minneapolis outside the rink where the ducks used to practice. We had even gotten `married' once, in a pretend ceremony. She was the only girl that I had ever kissed. So what if I was five? It was on the lips, so I still count it.  
  
I shook myself out of my thoughts, as I pulled the navy blue cardigan sweater that my mom had picked out for me to wear today. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I prepared myself for the "Adam comments" that I knew that I would get that day. I would probably be mixed up with him about fifty times. I knew that everyone would give me the speech about how I had so much to live up to, and about how wonderful my brother was. I would just grin and bear it like I had so many times before.  
  
I trudged down the stairs that morning, as my mother got all weepy over how grown up I looked. I ate breakfast quickly and then joined my father in the car for him to drop me off at school. "Now, make sure to pay attention, and do everything they say. Take notes in your head- you know what I mean? You need to do your best this year, Jeremy. I will not tolerate any slacking. I know you can cut it, you just have to show them that. Like I said, just do your best." My father recited to me, as we turned onto the Minneapolis exit on the free way. You would have thought that he's talking about school right, wrong. "Just...make sure to stay on sides. That's always a tell tale sign of a good, focused player- especially at your level."  
  
I shook my head at my father's concern. I knew that all I had to do to make the hockey team was show up. I could stand on my head and blow bubbles in the middle of the ice, and still make the team. We spent most of the rest of the ride to Eden Hall in silence. 


	2. Chapter 2

"Good luck, son." Dad told me, as he pulled up to the front of the Eden Hall Campus. "I'll be back after hockey tryouts to pick you up." He reminded me.   
  
Like Adam, I was not living on campus this year...thankfully. I sighed as I beheld the gigantic stone buildings in front of me. 'This is my life now.' I thought to myself.   
  
"Hey, your feet glued to the ground?" I heard a familiar voice ask.   
  
"Laura?" I asked looking up, hopefully.   
  
"No? Who's that? One of your other girlfriends?" A brown haired girl, with shining green eyes laughed. "It's Caitie, you know, from the country club." She reminded me.  
  
I sighed. Yes, Caitie Rogers, the stuck up, snobby, two faced, rich, daddy's girl that I had played tennis with this summer. Her parents and mine were friends, though I didn't see why. I suppose that there was no other real reason, except that we were both rich. I swear it's as if people sit around saying. "Well, I'm rich and you're rich so hey, lets get together sometime." Usually there is absolutely nothing else that people from the Edina Country Club have in common. It's almost sickening to think about, for me at least.  
  
"So, are you excited about being in high school?" Caitie asked as the two of us walked into the building side by side. Actually, it was more liker her following me. "What class do you have first period?" She asked, after I refused to answer her first question. I sighed and handed over my schedule, hey, anything to keep her quiet. "Hey, we have some classes together...not first though." She shrugged, handing back the small sheet of paper. "I guess I see you later then?" She told me, as we made our way to the doors of the main building.   
  
"Yeah, later." I replied, quickly making my way over to the old, wooden staircase. Caitie was defiantly not the first person I was looking for that morning. I was hardly awake, and obviously not in any shape to deal with HER. After finding my first period classroom, I slumped down in my seat, hoping not to be recognized by any other former tennis partners. Come to think of it, I wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone. I just wanted to mind my own business and get through the day.   
  
"Hey, man." An unfamiliar voice greeted me.  
  
'So much for plan A.' I thought to myself. "Hi." I replied.   
  
"I'm Matt, Matt Watkins"  
  
"Hey." I sighed.   
  
"You're Adam Banks' brother, aren't you?"   
  
"Yeah."   
  
"That's awesome. So I guess I'll see you at hockey tryouts then." He replied, patting me on the shoulder.   
  
"Yeah." I repeated.   
  
I made it through the day with little to no confrontation, but I didn't get a chance to see Laura until seventh period that day.   
  
"Hey!" I exclaimed when I met up with her at the door of our last period music class. She was wearing a long red skirt, that looked like it had been hand-made, which I wouldn't doubt. I knew that Laura made most of her own clothes. Her top was a simple black halter, leaving her shoulders exposed. Her skin was smooth and creamy, and blonde ringlets fell a few inches above her shoulders. Her eyes were bright, and playful, as they had always been.   
  
"Hey Banks." She smiled. "How are you?"   
  
"Pretty good!" I replied, gazing into her crystal clear blue eyes. I swear, there was something about those eyes.... "So...how's your first day been?" I asked, as we walked into the class room, side by side and took a seat in the front row of the class.   
  
"I don't know." She shrugged. "I've been thinking, and I honestly don't know how Guy and Charlie and Connie and all the others did it their first year. I mean, look at me. I stick out like a sore thumb."   
  
I chuckled. "Laura, that's what makes you special. Look around. Do you really want to look like...that?" I asked, pointing to a girl in the corner. She had on a short, for pleat khaki skirt, and a cardigan sweater. Thick, heavy framed glasses hid her boring brown eyes. Laura smiled and looked down.   
  
"You always know how to make me feel better, Jeremy."   
  
I could feel my face start to heat up, and I knew that Laura noticed because of her uneasiness as she changed the subject. "Anyway, it looks like you're fitting in alright, Mr. Hockey Star."   
  
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah right."   
  
"Gee, do you think you'll make the team?" She asked, sarcastically just as the bell rang. Miss King started talking, but we ignored her, too caught up in our own conversation to notice.   
  
"Yeah right." I replied. "All I have to do is show up."   
  
"Mr.- um..." Miss King snapped, but then trailed off, realizing that she didn't know who I was.   
  
"Banks." I filled in.   
  
"Banks?" She asked.   
  
"Yes ma'am." I sighed, slouching down in my chair.   
  
"And Miss-"   
  
"Germaine." Laura replied.   
  
"As in-"   
  
"Yes!" Laura cut her off, knowing what was coming next.  
  
"Anyway, will you two please save your conversation for after class."  
  
"Yes Ma'am." We replied, simultaneously.   
  
"Anyway, as I was saying..." She went on. I leaned back over to Laura.   
  
"Have you been getting that all day too?" I asked. "The 'you're Adam's brother, right?' thing?" She asked.   
  
I just nodded. "Yeah." She rolled her eyes. "You too?"   
  
"Yeah. Oh well." I sighed, turning back to pay attention. After class Laura and I discovered that our lockers were in the same hall way.   
  
"I was wondering why I hadn't seen you all day." I told her.   
  
"I've been getting lost." She laughed. "You know me and my terrible sense of direction." She laughed, shoving her biology book onto the bottom shelf of her locker.   
  
"Well, have fun at hockey. Do good." She told me. "I'll see you tomorrow?"   
  
"And the next day, and the next day, and the day after that."   
  
"Shut up, Germaine." I laughed, shoving her playfully.   
  
"Okay, okay. Later, Banks." She laughed. And with a flash of that beautiful smile, and a toss of her golden blond locks, she left. I let myself lean back against the cold metal of her locker, and watch her walk off down the hall way, a dreamy look in my eyes the entire time.   
  
"Hey!" Someone exclaimed, comming up behind me. I couldn't help but jump, it had startled me after all, shaking me from my thoughts.   
  
"Matt." I breathed. "Don't do that, man."  
  
"Sorry. You ready to head to tryouts?" He asked.   
  
"Oh yeah, sure." I nodded, following him. "So, what do you know about Coach Orion?" Matt asked, as we walked out of the stuffy hall way and into the crisp air of that September afternoon.   
  
"He's tough, and really hard on defense." I explained. "What position do you play, anyway?" I asked.   
  
"Defense." He replied.   
  
"That's cool. I'm a forward, left mostly." I explained.   
  
"Yeah, I think I knew that." Matt mumbled absentmindedly. I frowned, I wasn't about to ask how. The locker room wasn't what I had expected it to be. It was pretty grungy, actually. It reminded me of some of the locker rooms that I had used when I had played peewee. I couldn't help but notice the poster on the back wall. It was a huge picture of the duck logo, and had been signed by all of the members of the original JV team.   
  
"Hey, sweet!" Matt exclaimed, and wandered over the poster. A few other guys were standing back there looking at it as well. I just rolled my eyes and pulled out my pads. "This is so cool, Banks!" Matt exclaimed, a huge smile spreading over his face. "I mean, the ducks used this locker room...I'm going to be a duck!"   
  
I widened my eyes "I can hardly contain my excitement." I mumbled. Yeah, keeping up the family's reputation might not be as easy as I thought.... 


	3. Chapter 3

I was one of the first out on the ice, Orian was skating around, reading notes off of a clip board, but when he saw me, he stopped what he was doing, and skated over to say something to me.  
  
"Banks." He nodded.  
  
"Hi Coach."  
  
"Nice to see you out here. Excited about the year?"  
  
"Yes sir." I nodded.  
  
"Good, good."  
  
Later, after everyone was out on the ice, he told us all to take a knee before beginning his speech.  
  
"Some of you will make the team today, some of you won't." He began. "But for those of you who do, you should know that it's going to take real will to do well this year. Most of you know that you have a big reputation to live up to, as members of the Eden Hall JV Mighty Ducks. I expect you to meet the standard that has been set for you, and surpass it. Today, we're going to find out which of you can cut it, so lets get going, thirty laps!"  
  
I sighed, and started out on the laps, trying to get them over with as quickly as possible. Right behind me there was this kid who kept falling down, no way was he going to make the team.  
  
After everyone was done with the laps, Coach Orian divided us up into teams, and told us to scrimmage, he put me at center, I tried to argue, but decided that it would be best to keep my mouth shut. Even though I hadn't played center since peewees.  
  
I felt awkward in the position. I would have give anything to have played wing, but again, I kept my mouth shut for the rest of the practice, and sucked it up. When we were done, we all hit the locker room, without a word, and waited for Orian to come in with the list of who made the team. I hadn't been nervous, but while I took of my gear, I listened to all the other guys talking about how bad they thought they did, or what they could have done better, and that started to make me nervous. Had I had any missed opportunities? I couldn't really think of anything. I shook myself, and mentally told myself to calm down, I'd make the team, there was no way for me not to.  
  
I was looking down to take off my skates when I noticed that the room had suddenly become hushed, and tension filled. When I looked up, Orian was making his way over to the bulletin board. "If your name is highlighted, you made the team, and I'm going to need to see you in the rink, during lunch tomorrow for a quick meeting, where I'll hand out a schedule."  
  
Orian had barley set foot out of the room, before everyone scrambled to bulletin board to check for their names. I was nearly run over by a rather large defense-man, and decided that it was best to wait a few minuets. After the crowd had mostly cleared, I walked over the list. My name was close to the top, and highlighted, next to it, my name read 'First Line, Center' I sighed. "He made me a center." I grumbled. This was...unacceptable. Quickly, I gathered my things, and escaped the crowded locker room.  
  
I found my dad's car sitting outside the rink.  
  
"So how'd you do?" He asked, as I slid into the passenger's side.  
  
"He made me a center." I grumbled.  
  
"Starting?" My dad asked.  
  
I looked at him. I couldn't believe that he had just asked me that, was that all he cared about? I nodded in reply. He just didn't get it. Nobody did. They all looked at me as this awesome hockey player, you know, the youngest Banks brother. I would never get out of Adam's shadow at this rate. And yet, he was probably the only person that could understand. I decided that I would call him later that night.  
  
When I got home and told my mother about hockey tryouts, she was delighted, and told me that she would cook my favorite dinner that night, pot roast. I took a shower, and picked at my dinner, and then excused myself to go upstairs and call Adam.  
  
I dialed the number to hid dorm room, that was written on a scrap of paper by my bedside. He picked up on the third ring.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hey, Adam."  
  
"Hey, little bro, what's up?"  
  
"I hate Orian, that's all."  
  
Adam laughed. "What'd he do to you?"  
  
"He mad me a center."  
  
"Are you kidding?" Adam asked, I could sense confusion in his voice.  
  
"Your so much better at wing!"  
  
"He wouldn't know." I spat. "He never gave me a chance, he just threw me in at center, becuase it's your position. That's all I got all day long too, 'oh, your Adam's brother, right?' 'Adam was so great', and my personal favorite, 'you have a lot to live up to young man.'"   
  
"Sorry. I can't help it."  
  
"I know." I sighed. "It's just that....I don't know. I feel like I'm never going to get out of your shadow."  
  
"Talk to Orian." Adam suggested. "See if he'll give you a chance at wing."  
  
"Maybe." I sighed. Hey, it was worth a shot....  
  
AN: sorry...short chapter, but I had to add something, I hadn't updated in FOREVER....I know it sucks, but I'll try to make the next chapter better lol. feel free to flame me *sob* I know I deserve it! :o\ 


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, I walked down the class alone, still brooding, when Laura came up to me.

"Hey, congrats on making the team." She smiled.

"Yeah...whatever." I mumbled.

"What's wrong? I hear that you're starting? Isn't Daddy proud of you?" She asked, sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes, annoyed. I didn't want to talk to anybody, about anything today, especially about hockey. "He put me at Adam's position okay. It sucks. He's just seeing me because of Adam, not because of anything that I did to prove myself."

"Banks...shut up." Laura frowned.

"What the-"

"I'm serous!" Laura threatened. "You are being such a brat about this! Kids from around the state would kill to play on that hockey team. Don't you get it? And you are starting, and you don't even care? That's so...stupid. If you're not going to be grateful for the talent that God gave you, and for the people that are going to help you develop that talent, with THEIR money and THEIR time, well, then maybe you don't belong on the team. Maybe you don't deserve it, Jeremy." She spat, and walked off.

I sighed. What Laura had said made me feel really bad. I was expected to be a leader, and how was I supposed to lead with an attitude like I had right now? I was a duck...a duck! Laura was right, kids around the country would kill to be a duck, to carry on the legacy that my brother's team had started. It was then that I remembered another sign in the locker room of the rink. It read "Tradition in excellence." I should be proud...if nothing else, than just to be a duck.

***

I grabbed a quick bite to eat during lunch, and then headed to the rink, where most of the rest of the team was there. A lot of them stared at me. I couldn't help but wonder what they were thinking. My father would say that they were staring because I was good, because they wished that they could have talent like mine. Adam would say that they were staring because they had nothing else to look at. Me? I can't help but wonder if their staring at me because they think I'm some kind of a snob. I haven't even spoken to some of them at all. I didn't even know some of their names. It wasn't my fault though, I was new, I was shy....

After a while longer, Coach Orian handed out a schedule, explaining when our practices were, what was expected of us. A lot of guys hadn't known about the B average rule. "Last year, the ducks had the highest academic average of any team in the state! I want you to be better, understood?" He asked.

I gulped. I knew that I had already screwed myself over in two of my classes. I would have to work hard to bring up those grades. I honestly never understood teachers who gave a quiz on the second day of school. Are they just trying to scare you or something?

"Banks?" A kid asked, walking up to me, after Coach Orian had left.

"Yeah...." I trailed off as two of the other defensemen came up behind him. "You must think you're pretty good, huh? Being the...brother of a duck and all."

I stared blankly back. "No- um- not really."

"Well, just so you know, this is my team. If you start to show off, I might just have to do something about that. We don't want anyone to think that you're a better player than me or anything...."

I frowned.

"Because, my father's on the alumni board."

Was that supposed to scare me? Didn't he know that I wasn't here on scholarship like the ducks had been? There was no way that he could get me kicked out of school, or even off the team...at least, I didn't think so....


End file.
